This invention relates to a safety device for holding and retaining used hyposyringes, needles, razor blades, and other objects that can constitute a danger to personnel engaged in health related activities.
Hyposyringes and other sharp objects commonly employed by health professionals constitute a potential danger once they have been used. Needles used to deliver medication to a patient, or to draw blood, having an infectious disease can accidentally puncture the skin of a doctor or nurse, causing at a minimum a great deal of anxiety. Obviously, in this current time with the deadly disease called "AIDS", safe disposal of sharp objects used in the routine treatment of patients has become a vital necessity.
Attempts have been made to solve this problem as is evident from U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,944, issued Jun. 19, 1984. This patent teaches the use of a container having a means for passing hyposyringes and the like into an opening in the container. This opening contains pie-shaped flaps which deform downward to permit entry of the hyposyringe, but restrict efforts by children and unauthorized personnel from using their hands to retrieve these objects from the container. Additionally, a locking member permits anchoring the container in one place, as, for example, to a hospital wall.
Another attempt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,652, issued Jan. 22, 1985. This invention discloses the use of a second container within a first container. An opening in the first container is equipped with deformable pie-shaped flaps so that hyposyringes can be forced between the flaps and thereby gain entrance to the interior of the first container, and thence into the interior of the second container. This second container has an attached cap for securing the opening in this second container, providing additional difficulties for unauthorized personnel to retrieve objects from this second container. In addition, this invention provides a locking device in the first container closure for aiding in the removal of needles from the end of hyposyringes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,926, issued Jun. 4, 1985 addresses the problem of securing hyposyringes and the like being held within a safety container. After dangerous items have been deposited in the container a captive closure is employed to permanently seal the contents within the safety container. This problem is also addressed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,112, issued Jul. 15, 1986. This patent teaches the use of an opening to a safety hyposyringe disposal container having a plurality of generally triangular flaps forming a cone shape into the container so that hyposyringes may be placed within the container but not withdrawn. Additionally a permanent cap closure for this opening is threaded to the opening in a manner to prevent accidental permanent sealing of the safety container.
While the above described solutions to the safety disposal problem inherent in the use of hyposyringes and the like have proven generally useful, additional conveniences and precautions are desirable. Today it is estimated that upwards of 300,000 visiting nurses provide a wide variety of in home services. These nurses typically carry with them a supply of hyposyringes, and necessarily some means to dispose of these hyposyringes. These safety disposal devices are often contaminated with bodily fluids containing potentially deadly pathogens. It is therefore important to provide health professionals with economical, convenient, portable, and liquid leak proof safety disposal devices that provide them with as much protection against accidental needle sticks and infection as can be reasonably done in these circumstances.
Therefore it is a primary object of the invention to provide a safety device for holding and retaining used hyposyringes and the like for the protection of the user against accidental infections.
An additional object of the invention is to provide for positive pressure displacement of items into the safety device without the necessity for the hands of the health professional coming in contact with potentially contaminated portions of the safety device.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device for hyposyringes and the like that resists puncture by needles and other sharp objects.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a liquid tight, leak proof safety device for the disposal of hyposyringes and the like.
An additional object of the invention is to provide an economical to manufacture safety device for hyposyringes and the like disposal.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safety device for hyposyringe and the like disposal that is portable, and that can be conveniently carried about during normal routines by health professionals.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an assembly which permits one hand operation.